Tag Archives: Loving Like Jesus

Plumbline of Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

July 6, 2021

Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-15
This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumbline.’ Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumbline
   in the midst of my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
   and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
   and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,
“Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
   and Israel must go into exile
   away from his land.”‘
And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’

Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

Amos’s description of the plumbline to illustrate how God sets the standards for our wholeness and well-being is very meaningful. Since early childhood, I have understood that if I did not stack my blocks in correct alignment, they would eventually fall. Common sense readily perceived by a child, however, often differs from our desires. Humans tend to what to have their cake and eat it, too. Amos was expelled from Israel because his warnings went against the leaders’ wishes.

When we read about idol worship in the Hebrew Bible, we envision people bowing down to statutes they have created, like the golden calf the Israelites built because Moses stayed on the mountain too long. I was shocked when I saw an actual golden calf made for a political rally on TV last year. I never knew what its purpose was. Unfortunately, the idols of our time are not usually that easy to identify. The more I search for the roots of evil in our world today, the more I see the truth in 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. They indeed may pierce themselves with pain, but the worst part of greed is it cannot exist without hurting others, too. Greed is the root of slavery and our unwillingness to increase the minimum wage to a living wage. Each time we ignore the plumbline of God’s righteousness, we move out of sync with it, and it will eventually suffer the consequences.

Prayer: Lord, help us see greed wherever it is invading our world. Grant us the courage to turn away from it as we work for a world that follows your righteousness and justice. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Hospitality

Living in the Spirit

July 4, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 6:1-13

He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. –Mark 6:7-13

Wearing a second tunic might be necessary if sleeping outside on a cold day. This requirement for the trip was most likely to inspire the disciples to develop positive relationships with the people they encountered. Such an assumption sounds strange to us today. We would be more apt to purchase a motel room for an unexpected guest. Hospitality in the Middle East is far more like family. One of the things I enjoyed the most about my trip to Turkey a few years ago was the level of hospitality. Jesus was encouraging even more than the basic hospitality. He was asking the disciples to build relationships through the exchange of hospitality.

My rural background may be closer to that type of hospitality. My little church could not afford a full-time pastor. We routinely hired either a seminary student or one of the professors at the Christian Church Seminary located 50 or so miles from the church. Part of their contract was providing dinner at noon and a place to rest and perhaps study until the Sunday evening service. Everybody in the church was expected to sign up for their fair shares of the Sundays. Our days at my house for hosting the pastor were big deals. We got out the best China and sometimes literally killed the fatted café or at least a hen. It was an amazing time for the pastors to get to know their flock. I experienced times like that when I served at a church sitting in waiting rooms with family members while a loved one had surgery. One can learn a lot about love and loss and gratitude while waiting to hear good or bad news.

Hospitality is an art, not a science, and is conveyed through sharing learning more about others. We need that more than ever in our society. Because of the busyness of our lives, we must be very intentional in reaching out to others to provide hospitality. It is more than worth the effort.

Prayer: Lord, help seek out ways to provide hospitality in all aspects of our lives. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Self-Worth

Living in the Spirit

July 3, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Mark 6:1-13

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching.  –Mark 6:1-6

I think the above scripture is about people’s self-worth. When someone is comfortable in their skin, they usually have no problem appreciating the skills and abilities of others. The closer one person’s life and background mirror another’s, the more apt they are to make comparisons, perhaps get into mental if not real competition. Siblings do this all the time. Some try to carve out an area in which they can shine and not be in competition. Others try to excel outside the competition. My brother and sister both excelled at math. I never had any interest in math beyond what was required in a specific class. I made OK grades but only took the required math course in high school. In college, I got my math requirement by taking a course in logic. English and history were my favorite subjects. I wonder if my choices had as much to do with not competing with my siblings.

Lack of self-worth is a significant problem in our world today. We live in a competitive world where people’s worth is often measured in money. Money also usually dictates what schools one attends, the toys they have, the food they eat, whether they receive health care. All of these realities mold people’s lives into classifications that result in a hard-to-break caste system. That is not the way of being Jesus taught. Perhaps these early experiences opened his eyes to seeing the real potential in each person and striving to strengthen people’s gifts rather than toss them aside like bruised fruit.

The worst thing we can do to someone is convincing them that they are better than everybody else. Such people know that is not true and do not know how to deal with that fact. We see the anger and resistance among such people in many aspects of our lives today. While we try to repair the breaches of racism and sexism and how we treat people with physical and mental traits deferring from the majority, we must deal with these self-worth issues. There is no hierarchy of worth among God’s children; only beautiful diversities of potential needing to be supported.

Prayer: Lord, help us recognize and celebrate the gifts in all people while fully supporting them in reaching their full potential. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Peaceful Protest

Living in the Spirit

July 1, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 12:2-10

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

We live in a crazy world. I do not know how many people were arrested on January 6, 2021, when the nation’s capital was breached with windows and furniture broken and congress members hustle out to safety. Five deaths are attributed to that event. An estimated $1.5 million in damage was done. Five hundred people had since been arrested. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The actions on January 6 clearly did not meet the test of peaceably to assemble.

Recently, Reverend Doctor William Barber Jr. and other participants from the Poor Peoples Campaign, including Reverend Jesse Jackson, led a group of people to Washington DC from West Virginia and Kentucky to meet with their senators, Joe Manchin and Mitch McConnell, at their offices. The group was turned away, and neither man was willing to meet with their constituents. Part of the group then went and stood in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue to peacefully protest the issues they wanted to discuss. Both men and some others were arrested for, I guess, blocking traffic. Rev. Dr. Barber suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Jesse Jackson has Parkinson’s Disease. Neither of these gentle giants would have hurt anyone. Just standing in solidarity for voters’ rights with the people of West Virginia and Kentucky was a painful chore.  

We cannot let the out-of-control actions of an angry mob overtake the fundamental rights of our democracy. People like Paul did not have the protection of our Constitution. He paid a heavy personal price for his work sharing the love of God. We, however, can and must work for righteousness and justice peaceably.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the courage to be conduits of your love through our citizenship. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

What Sin?

Living in the Spirit

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June 30, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
   For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
   and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
   from all its iniquities.

Psalm 130 is one all followers of God should memorize and recite daily as we strive to serve the Lord in our world today. We do not always get everything right. Many of us commit sins of omission rather than commission. The story of Jesus saving the woman caught in adultery is an excellent example of that. The religious leaders of the day were ready to stone her for her sin until Jesus instructs that the one without sin throw the first stone*. All her accusers turned and walked away. We do not know the woman’s back story, but we see this in our world today. With poverty rampant, we do not support quality education for all. Oklahoma ranks among the worst ten states for health outcomes, yet it took us eleven years and a vote of the people to approve Medicaid expansion providing health care for adults who previously had none. Enrollment in the program started June 1, 2020, and over 100,000 adults have been authorized.

Turning and walking away when we recognize we are imperfect is not the final answer. The definitive answer is moving into the lives of those who need a helping hand to become fully the persons God created them to be. Here are a few ways to recover from sins of omission:

  • Provide school supplies for a child or tutoring someone,
  • Help someone learn English as a second language to enable them to work,
  • Mentor youth left behind as they transition from the child welfare or juvenile justice system toward being productive adults are ways of recovering from those sins of omission.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and arms to helping others become whole as our interactions with them make us whole. Amen.

*See John 8:3-11

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Reconciliation

Living in the Spirit

June 28, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:
Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
   How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
   proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
   the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. –2 Samuel 1:2, 17-20

David was careful to protect Saul and Jonathan. He may have done it because it was the politically right thing to do as he wanted as few enemies among his nation as possible when he assumed the throne.  I think Jonathan was a genuine friend, and his death surely stung.

As an advocate, I regularly wade through politics. Most relationships in life are steeped in a bit of politics. This morning I joined the people of Surfside, Florida, in mourning the lives lost and forever changed by the collapse of their high-rise apartment. The scene was eerily familiar as it looked like the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. Officials do not know and probably will not know for some time what caused the collapse. The building has been sinking a bit for a while because of the rising water surrounding Miami Beach. That may or may not have had anything to do with the collapse.

Both incidents bring our attention to practicing prevention. A disgruntled white supremacist blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The water rising around Miami Beach is the result of climate change. What does it take for us to learn to share our concerns and work together to solve them? What makes us hold so tightly to our understanding of the world that we are unwilling to deal with other viewpoints?

I was struck by David’s final comments above. He did not want the enemy to know they had succeeded in killing Israel’s king and his son. That does not sound like reconciliation with a neighboring nation was going to happen anytime soon. Christ calls us to love all our neighbors and live in a just world. We can only do that through the power of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see ways of reconciliation toward all people. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Jesus, the Healer

Living in the Spirit

June 26, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So he went with him.

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’ And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. —Mark 5:21-24, 35-43

Trying to assure affordable, accessible health care for all is a significant part of my life and has been for years. Health care in rural Oklahoma is near crisis. I talked with a friend yesterday trying to help someone find a doctor for the woman’s mother moving to live with her daughter in Oklahoma City. She keeps finding notices that many doctors are not taking new patients. The problem with a profit-based health care system is we can profit ourselves right out of business for those who cannot afford the rising costs. COVID has proven that we all need to support affordable, accessible health care. For one thing, viruses do not differentiate by wealth the people they infect. If all the working-class and middle-class people are forced into poverty because of health care costs, there will be no customers left for the businesses.

The above story illustrates that Jesus reached out and cured people of all walks of life and did not conclude that we cannot save everyone. When I hear of the death of anyone who died from a lack of proper and timely health care because they could not afford it, I wonder if the person who died was one whose gifts would have positively changed the world, and we lost that person before they could reach their potential.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for the sick following your example. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Finding a Fair Balance

Living in the Spirit

June 25, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,
‘The one who had much did not have too much,
   and the one who had little did not have too little.’

Jesus did say the poor will always be with us* in a discussion about doing the right things in the right times. What Jesus did not say is true: the rich will always be with us, too. Variances of wealth have always existed. Thus, the terms “poor” and “rich” are relative to place, time, and economy. What we consider poor in the USA is wealth in countries where starvation is rampant. Paul argues that the issue is finding a fair balance between abundance and the needs of others,
As it is written,
‘The one who had much did not have too much,
   and the one who had little did not have too little.’

If this quote sounds familiar, it is from the story of God providing Manna for the Israelites after they fled Egypt. Found in Exodus 16:18 reads:

But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

I call that everyone having at least enough of the necessities of life. Paul calls it a fair balance. The USA economy is out of balance and even more out of proportion with many parts of the world.  The Poor Peoples Campaign estimates that over 140 million people in the USA live in poverty or just one major setback like a health crisis or job loss from living in poverty**.  Now is the right time to end poverty.  

Prayer: Lord, help us find the right way to find a fair balance of incomes so that everyone can have enough. Amen.

*Mark 14:7
**For more information, see https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/resource/factsheets/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Heading for a New Beginning

Living in the Spirit

June 24, 2021

I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,
‘The one who had much did not have too much,
   and the one who had little did not have too little.’

Several years ago, I drove 35 miles from my home to the small rural community where one of my nieces played basketball.  I enjoyed the game but was startled upon leaving the gym to discover a blizzard in full force. The one good thing, ice was not sticking to the road. The unbelievably lousy result was my inability to see more than a few feet in front of my car on a winding rural highway. That was the most harrowing 20 or so miles I have ever driven. The interstate and street lights of the city were terrific reprieves even though conditions were still bad.  I thought of this when I weighed my response to COVID was. I believe we have reached at least a somewhat lighted path. My daily life during the pandemic was nothing to compare to that of health care workers and other essential employees. I felt rather helpless as the only thing I could do was stay home otherwise, wear a mask, socially distance, wash my hands, and pray. I also develop skills regarding Zoom meetings.

We are at the threshold of a new beginning. As we now deal with where we go from here, we must do so by carefully examining what we have learned about ourselves and how we share our love with others. In the first verse of this scripture, Paul describes most of the Christians with which I have contact. We speak well, study and learn, and devote time and energy to our churches. How do we love, and are we hitting the mark with our love?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for dwelling among us during these trying times. Grant us the courage to learn from this experience and reshape the world in your model of love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Dealing with Our Foes

Living in the Spirit

June 23, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
   and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
   and you have healed me.
 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
   restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
   and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
   his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning. –Psalm 30:1-6

I do not think about having foes. I certainly know people who disagree with me on many things. Foes, though, seem to suggest some enemy that wants to harm me. My primary foes are part of me. The simple ones are the voices that whisper just one cookie will not make any difference. Or they highlight my sins of omission. Maybe I do not need to write my representative this time. Many other people are doing that, and he or she never pays any attention to me anyway. Or sitting in a meeting thinking somebody should say something because what is suggested is wrong and I sit there in silence.

I have noted a trend in our society that what we classify as the worse sins in the world are the things most of us would never do or have any reason to do. Many are not mentioned in scripture. While we ignore or at least readily assume forgiveness for us and the others in our circle, sins that are clearly articulated in the Bible are accepted as the way things are now. Of course, judging others and forgiveness of sins is not our work anyway. That assignment went to Jesus. Our task was and is to love one another no matter what. If we think about it, the people we need to love the most are those who the world considers the least of these.

What is our responsibility toward attaining reconciliation among those with whom we have markedly different understandings of God’s purpose for us? Much of Paul’s ministry was dedicated to answering that question. He sought to find the things on which they could agree and move forward from there.

Prayer: Lord of Love, forgive us for creating our misery as we try to serve you in the most convenient ways for ourselves. Guide us in stepping forth in faith to perform the way you set forth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.